New design in works for congested section of North Kings Highway

A new design is in the final stages of development for an awkward section of North Kings Highway that has long aggravated area residents.

That stretch of Kings Highway, which includes intersections with School Street, Shields Avenue, Poag Street and Route 1, often requires long waits to get a relatively short distance during rush hour and on weekends, particularly for southbound traffic on Kings Highway and eastbound traffic on Shields Avenue/School Street.

The area is also the future home to new high-density residential developments that spurred the county to come up with potential new designs for the intersections in 2013 and 2014. Those proposals, which included a right-turn in and right-turn out configuration at the School Street intersection and a traffic circle, proved to be very unpopular with nearby residents and never moved past the community input phase. 

Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay mentioned the newest design Saturday at the Lee District Town Meeting in response to a question about pedestrian safety near Mount Eagle Elementary School. The school, located in the 6100 block of North Kings Highway, often has traffic backed up in front of it due to congestion at the School Street/Shields Avenue intersection.

McKay called the intersection “a disaster” in its current state, and said that the Fairfax County Department of Transportation was in the final stages of finishing up the design with the assistance of VDOT. 

The design, seen above, would realign the intersections of Kings Highway, School Street and Shields Avenue, and add a traffic light in front of the new Shields Avenue intersection. According to notes on the design, the lights at School Street and Shields Avenue would be synced. Southbound Kings Highway would no longer merge down to one lane at School Street, and a traffic light would be installed at Poag Street, which handle traffic in and out of the South Alex mixed-use development, which is currently in the beginning stages of construction.

“Instead of these awkward weird intersections that don’t align, we’ll have much better T intersections along there,” McKay said. “Much better pedestrian crossings on both sides of Kings Highway, and much better traffic [flow],” 

There would also be a pedestrian light on Kings Highway near the entrance to the Mount Eagle parking lot, as well as new bus shelters along Kings Highway.

A source familiar with the project stressed that the design is not yet final, and still subject to feedback from the local community. 

McKay said funding for whatever design is ultimately picked has already been secured through proffers from the South Alex project and the future Grande at Huntington project (slated for the former Fast Eddie’s shopping center).